In the normal practice of medicine it is often necessary for the physician to obtain a detailed analysis of biological samples in various medical fields such as histology, cytology, microbiology, hematology, etc. Many of these analyses require highly specialized and trained technicians and specialized equipment, not typically available to the physician. Therefore, the physician obtains a biological sample and forwards it to a lab for analysis. Various kits and containers have been used in the prior art for transporting these slides. In one prior art kit slides are provided to the doctor along with appropriate shipping containers and labels for forwarding the specimens to the laboratory for analysis. The shipping container simply comprises a generally rectangular box in which slide is placed. The slide is allowed to freely move within the container. The slides may be provided with the kit or taken from a box of slides. In many instances, these slides have been exposed to the environment, and thus, are often coated with dust. Additionally, these slides must be handled by the physician with his or her fingers, resulting in natural grease from the hand being transferred to the slide. In many of the tests to be conducted, it is extremely important that the specimens be as clean as possible. Thus, it is important to avoid any unnecessary contact with the slide during transportation or handling by the physician.
Applicants have invented an improved package for handling and transporting glass slides which minimizes or overcomes many of the problems of prior art.